The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-06-11

-.... 400. =. s,.eration simply does not change
the laws of nature, The souls OF mul,itudes
OF Sandwich Islanders have been redeemed
whose bodies are suffering Ey reason Of the
sins Of their idolatrous ancestors
On the other side God shows mercy unto
n thousand generations Revised Version,
margin) Of those that love him and keep his
commandments There is no better inherit
ance than to be child OF cody parents
The Third Commandment ". 1.-The third
commandment is directed against profanity
and false swearing. "Thou shalt not lift up
[utterl the name of Jehovah thy God for
vanity" Ito no purpose, or liel II is right
10 speak thename of God in prayer or song,
or solemn discourse, or in the oaths required
by law. But il Gods name Is used thought
lessly, or in false statements made by wit
nesses, punishment will surely follow-if not
in this world, in that which is to come.
The Fourth Commandment Tvs. Sill. -His-
torical research shows that the Sabbath was
not original with the Hebrews. Tho Assyri-
ans had the sevenfold division OF time God,
however, first instituted the Sabbath Gen ii,
2-U. 1t Is indeed strange thing that the
one command which some mel. now say is no
longer binding should be singled out by God
as the very one that we are TO remember.
Man says, Forget the Sabbath day" God
says, Remember the Sabbath day." Sab
bath means rest Some think that their duty
is performed il they rest their bodies from
toll, and perhaps their minds; but the
very purpose Of remembering the day is that
it may be kept holy, that is, that it may be
set apart from common to sacred uses. All
work is to be done in six days Not only all
the members of the family are to enjoy II
season of rest, including the servants, but
even the beasts of burden are to have repose
from toll.
The reason for the observance of the Sac
bath day is THAT after the creation of the
heavens and the earth, which occupied six
divine days, God rested on the seventh day
and hallowed Il. In the Revised Version we
read ". l0, "Glt the seventh day is a sab
bath unto the Lord thy God" This is an
accurate rendering of the Hebrew, and indi-
Gates that o;hc seasons were " be considered
rs Sabbaths, Ns, for instance, the seventh
year LEV. XIV, ~.
Remark question is raised why the
great ma jority OF the Christian world observe
tae illst day of the week instead of the
seventh Tie reason of this is that in the
early history of the church among Jewish
Christians the seventh day was observed in
commemoration of the creation, and the first
day of the week in celebration of the reSur-
rection of Jesus Christ. Compare Acts xX,
Z; | Cor. xvi, >; Rev i, l0) AS the latter
seemed to be the greater event, it crowded
out the observance of the seventh day. This
is certainly according to the spirit of the New
Testament, and we may well speak of the
first day OF the week rs the Christian Sab
bath. For the two things that the command
ment emphasizes are that one day in seven is
to be used for rest (Sabbath-resting day.,
and that this day is to he employed for holy
purposes. In Observing the Christian Sab
bath we adhere to the spirit of the law which
Christ came to fulfill.
POINTS To BE REMEMBERED.
|. If we love any one more than God, we
have other gods beside him.
2. If our chief delight is in beautiful face,
in houses or works of art, we are guilty of
making these things our idols.
g. We should shun profanity and every
thing that sounds like it, and all false swear
ing.
t. We should not spend the Sabbath in our
own pleasure, for God has said: Remember
the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. We forget
the one commandment which God has told us
to remember and profane the day when we
use it in travelling, visiting or reading secu-
lar books and newspapers. When God says
remember, let not man say forget
School World.